Duff’s impressions: Bulletstorm Demo

by: Jeremy - posted: 1/31/2011 11:40:00 AM

I have waited along time to get my hands on People Can Fly’s Bulletstorm. Ever since the game was announced I have wanted to get my hands on the title because, quite honestly, it just looked like a ton of fun. Chuck had a chance to try out the title at last year’s E3 and hasn’t had a bad thing to say about the game in our many conversations about it since. Thanks to the newly launched demo on the PlayStation Network (and Xbox Live Marketplace) I have finally gotten a chance to try it out myself.

What did I think? Read on to find out...

The demo version of Bulletstorm lets players experience a single level of the game’s Echoes mode which promotes competition between online players through global leaderbaords. As I am sure that you have heard by now, Bulletstorm is all about “killing with skill”, and style, and that is what this mode is all about. It’s you against a barrage of enemies and to goal is to get from point A to B and rack up as many points as possible. It reminds me a lot of my early days with the original Tony Hawk Pro Skater game; its all about making the most of your environment and doing so as quickly as possible. To get the most out of the game, you have to be someone who likes to challenge yourself and are willing to put in the time and effort required to make yourself a better player. Anyone remotely familiar with FPS games can grab the controller and survive the stage, but it takes some creativity and quite frankly, a sick mind, to set yourself a part from the pack and earn a high ranking on the leaderboard(s).

The game is very fast paced and controls like a dream. Everything is mapped out to the controller just where you would expect it to be so there won’t be any hiccups there when and if you pick up the game (or demo). What you will have to get used to though is the game’s bread and butter tool: the leash. The leash adds a whole new dimension to the game and sets it apart from the other game in the genre and truly opens up the realm of possibilities for you to get creative with your “kills”. In my opinion, the leash is going to end up being the weapon that gamers will begin wondering how they ever lived without out; I now want this thing in every FPS game. Grabbing hold of an enemy and launching them with the leash will cause them to slow down in time and allow you to pinpoint and plan your attack; you have to keep on your toes though because your surroundings, including the environment and the other enemies remain unaffected and will continue moving at a normal / fast pace. The slow-down effect allows you to take your time with an individual enemy and ensure that you do exactly what you want to them. This includes aiming at just the right spot for a bonus headshot or perhaps setting them up to be launched into a specific part of the environment.

Even though the weapon selection in the demo version is limited, I have grown to love each of the weapons included in their own way. Each of the three weapons, not counting the leash, has alternative firing methods that changes up the strategy involved with each. I am really hoping that the weapon variety increases in the retail release to add even more variety after seeing how much variation exists with the three in the demo. Assuming that there are plenty of more levels available for the Echoes mode of the game, I would by buy the game just for that mode alone based on what I have experienced thus far. The retail game is going to have much more than that though with a full campaign and a cooperative multiplayer mode in addition to Echoes. You don’t have to ask me twice, based on what I have seen just in this demo you can count me in when the game launches on Feburary 22. Bulletstorm has a fun-factor that sets it heads and shoulders above the competition and provides and old-school style competitive experience that keeps you coming back for more again and again.

Try it out, its an absolute blast...